All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (September 9, 2020)
Evening Prayer
The Service of Light
Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
A light no darkness can extinguish.
1 O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the
everliving Father in heaven.
O Jesus, Christ, holy and blessed!
pure brightness of the
everliving Father in heaven.
O Jesus, Christ, holy and blessed!
2 Now as we come to the setting of the
sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing thy praises, O God:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing thy praises, O God:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3 Thou art worthy at all times
to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
Thanksgiving
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and
praise.
God our Father, we give you thanks
for all your gifts freely bestowed upon
us;
for the beauty and wonder of your
creation,
in earth and sky and sea; for all that
is gracious
in the lives of men and women,
revealing the light of Christ;
for minds to muse and hearts to love
and hands to serve;
for health and strength to work,
for leisure to rest and play;
for communion with your saints,
in all times and places,
and above all for the great promises
and mercies
given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
To him be praise and glory,
with you and the Holy Spirit, now and
forever. Amen.
Psalm 141 is sung and incense may be
burned.
O Lord, let my
prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an
evening offering.
1. Lord, I am
calling:
hasten to help me.
Listen to me as I
cry to you.
Let my prayer rise
before you like incense,
my hands like an
evening offering.
O Lord, let my
prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an
evening offering.
2. Lord, set a
guard at my mouth,
keep watch at the gate
of my lips.
Let my heart not
turn to things that are wrong,
to sharing the
evil deeds done by the sinful.
No, I will never
taste their delights.
O Lord, let my
prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an
evening offering.
3. The good may
reprove me,
in kindness
chastise me,
but the wicked
shall never anoint my head.
Ev’ry day I
counter their malice with prayer.
O Lord, let my
prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an
evening offering.
4 To you, Lord, my
God, my eyes are turned:
in you I take
refuge;
do not forsake me.
Keep me from the
traps they have set for me,
from the snares of
those who do evil.
O Lord, let my
prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an
evening offering.
5 Praise to the
Father, praise to the Son,
all praise to the
life-giving Spirit.
As it was, is now
and shall always be
for ages unending.
Amen.
O Lord, let my prayer
rise before you as incense,
my hands like an
evening offering.
Silence is kept.
Let the incense of our repentant prayer
ascend before you, O Lord, and let your loving kindness descend upon us, that
with purified minds we may sing your praises with the Church on earth and the
whole heavenly host, and may glorify you forever and ever. Amen.
The Psalms
The Lord is my light, my
help, my salvation.
Why should I fear? With God I fear no one.
God protects me all my life.
With the Lord what should I dread?
Why should I fear? With God I fear no one.
God protects me all my life.
With the Lord what should I dread?
The Lord is my light, the
Lord is my help,
The Lord is my salvation.
The Lord is my salvation.
There is one thing I ask, of
the Lord that I long for:
All of my days with God to be dwelling.
Gazing with awe at the beauty of God,
And in wonder look on God's house.
All of my days with God to be dwelling.
Gazing with awe at the beauty of God,
And in wonder look on God's house.
The Lord is my light, the
Lord is my help,
The Lord is my salvation.
The Lord is my salvation.
I know I will live to see the
Lord's goodness;
Now, in this life, I'm sure I will see it.
Trust in the Lord, be strong and be brave;
Wait in hope for God, our salvation.
Now, in this life, I'm sure I will see it.
Trust in the Lord, be strong and be brave;
Wait in hope for God, our salvation.
The Lord is my light, the
Lord is my help,
The Lord is my salvation.
The Lord is my salvation.
Silence is kept.
God, our light and our salvation,
illuminate our lives,
that we may see your goodness in the land of the living,
and, looking on your beauty,
may be changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ our
Lord.
Amen
The Proclamation of
the Word
The Reading
A reading from the first letter of
John.
Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the
world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love
one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. All who hate a brother
or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal
life abiding in them. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for
us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love
abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in
need and yet refuses help?
Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but
in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the
truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn
us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved,
if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we
receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what
pleases him.
And this is his commandment, that
we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another,
just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him,
and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit
that he has given us.
Silence is kept.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
The Homily
The Narrow Gate
How many of us, I wonder, when we read this passage, say
to ourselves, “John cannot mean so and so?” “He is only talking about people
like ourselves, people who share our views on the things that are important to
us, people who vote in elections like we do. They are our real brothers and
sisters.”
John, however, is echoing what Jesus said in the sermon
on the mountain. Those who are angry with a brother or a sister will be liable
to judgment and those who call a brother or a sister a fool will be liable to
the fire of hell. Jesus taught that one does not have to raise a hand against a
brother or a sister to be a murderer. One has only to feel ill-will toward them
in one’s heart.
We may choose to attach qualifications to those we love
but that is not one of Jesus’ teachings. As John points out, those who hate a
brother or a sister are murderers. Murderers do not have eternal life.
If we are going to follow Jesus, we have to follow him
all the way. There is no such thing as a quarter disciple or a half disciple. If
we are going to follow Jesus, we must frame our lives around all his teachings.
We cannot pick and choose from his teachings like a diner at a cafeteria
picking and choosing from the various dishes on the buffet.
This knowledge may not sit comfortably with us. In the
sermon on the mountain Jesus also spoke these words, “the gate is narrow and
the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” He did not
speak them without good reason. To enter the narrow gate, we must leave much
behind us. That includes choosing for ourselves whom we love and whom we do
not.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
My soul proclaims your greatness, Lord;
I sing my Savior’s praise!
You looked upon my lowliness,
and I am full of grace.
Now ev’ry land and ev’ry age
this blessing shall proclaim—
great wonders you have done for me,
and holy is your name.
To all who live in holy fear
Your mercy ever flows.
With mighty arm you dash the proud,
Their scheming hearts expose.
The ruthless you have cast aside,
the lowly throned instead;
the hungry filled with all good things,
the rich sent off unfed.
To Israel, your servant blest,
your help is ever sure;
the promise to our parents made
their children will secure.
Sing glory to the Holy One,
give honor to the Word,
and praise the Pow’r of the Most High,
one God, by all adored,
on God, by all adored.
Intercessions
Let us complete our evening prayer to
the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For peace from on high and our
salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For the welfare of all churches and for
the unity of the human family, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For (name), our bishop,
and (name), our pastor, and for all ministers of the Gospel, let us
pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For our nation, its government, and for
all who serve and protect us, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For this city (town, university,
monastery…). For every city and community, and for all those living in them,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For the good earth which God has given
us and for the wisdom and will to conserve it, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For the safety of travelers, the
recovery of the sick, the care of the destitute and the release of prisoners,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For an angel of peace to guide and
protect us, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For a peaceful evening and a night free
from sin, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For a Christian end to our lives and
for all who have fallen asleep in Christ, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
In the communion of the Holy Spirit
(and of all the saints), let us commend ourselves and one another to the living
God through Christ our Lord.
To you, O Lord.
Free Prayer
In silent or spontaneous prayer all
bring before God the concerns of the day.
The Collect
Lighten our darkness,
Lord, we pray,
and in your great mercy
defend us from all perils and dangers
of this night,
for the love of your only Son,
our Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
The
Lord’s Prayer is said
And now, as our Savior
has taught us,
we are bold to say,
Our Father, who
art in heaven,
hallowed be thy
name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is
in heaven.
Give us this day
our daily bread.
And forgive us our
trespasses,
as we forgive
those who trespass against us.
And lead us not
into temptation;
but deliver us
from evil.
For thine is the
kingdom,
the power, and the
glory
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Dismissal
Love is little, love is low
Love will make the spirit grow
Grow in peace, grow in light
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Love will make the spirit grow
Grow in peace, grow in light
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Love is little, love is low
Love will make our spirit grow
Grow in peace, grow in light
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Love will make our spirit grow
Grow in peace, grow in light
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Love is little, love is low
Love will make our spirit grow
Grow in peace, grow in light
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Love will make our spirit grow
Grow in peace, grow in light
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Love is little, love is low
Love will make our spirit grow
Grow in peace, grow in light
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Love will make our spirit grow
Grow in peace, grow in light
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Grow in peace, grow in light
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The God of all grace bless us now and forever. Amen
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